A couple years ago, "Iron Man" came out of the blue to
immediately situate itself as one of the great superhero
entries.

It lacked the scope of the new "Batman" films and the emotional
pull of the first two "Spider-Man" movies, but it was embedded with
such a bright, pop-bubblegum aesthetic and badass attitude that
director Jon Favreau's lack of nuts-and-bolts filmmaking ability
didn't really matter.

It was an experience that managed to be far greater than the sum
of its parts — pure movie magic, with palpable energy and a grand
sense of "let's go save the world" fun. "Iron Man 2" attempts to
recapture that same flag-waving, fist-pumping fervor, with mixed
results.